The Villainess's Golden Temptation
Who does this third-rate extra think he is, daring to ignore me?
『Yellow Light Chains』's villainess, Judith La Roche. There was a reason she earned the rather dubious honor of being called the villainess over all the other young ladies. Judith was the very embodiment of human desire. More than anyone else in the story, she pursued success, honor, and material wealth. And because of that, she understood human desire better than anyone.
Which was exactly why anyone who got tangled up with Judith La Roche never met a good end.
She would constantly wield every weapon in her arsenal—her appearance, her voice, her refined demeanor, her status, her money, her political power, and so on—to seduce her targets.
Of course, her targets would inevitably fall for it. And what happened after that? 'Being used by her was the happy ending.' Some would suddenly disappear one day. Others would go mad. In some cases, they would throw themselves into the fire like moths for her enemies, or willingly declare themselves her slaves.
In short, she was a seductive monster who knew exactly how to bewitch people. After all, she was the kind of woman who could wag her tail and flirt with the mad crown prince. Definitely not normal.
Just look at this money pouch she's shoving against my chest. The mere sound of it jingling is enough to make my mouth water. Ah, this is more than enough gold to purchase Ian Ash.
—'You think you can buy me with just this much?!'
It was proof of the level of Judith's serpentine temptation, having perfectly surpassed that stage.
"......"
And unfortunately, that was precisely where she went wrong.
Every time I heard the jingle of those gold coins and felt my mouth water, my survival instincts screamed at me like a blaring siren.
Emergency! Emergency! This woman is a total snake!
The moment I accepted that money, it was obvious I'd end up with the La Roche family's leash around my neck, being used as a political pawn until my head was the first to roll under the crown prince's blade. A third-rate extra's fate.
"...So, how long are you planning to keep ignoring me?"
In a secluded corner of the Annex Library, Judith, who had pulled her chair right up next to mine, tilted her head and asked. The thick scent of roses wafting from her black hair tickled my nose. And those seductively curved eyes of hers—don't even get me started.
I lifted the book I was reading high to block her wine-colored gaze. But Judith simply leaned her upper body forward, poking her head over the top of the book.
From Judith's perspective, she had every right to be upset. After all, I'd been ignoring her for over three hours straight. I'd returned the money pouch she'd thrown at me in front of the infirmary, given a very polite bow, and walked away without another word. But this noble young lady had followed me the entire way to Lena's female dormitory. When the "No Males Allowed" sign stopped me at the entrance, I'd turned around only to find her still trailing behind me. I'd come to the library to shake her off, but she went and dragged a chair right next to mine.
— "H-Hiiik!"
There had even been an incident where Arina, who had been sneaking peeks at me from behind the bookshelves, let out a startled squeak and bolted out of the library. True to her herbivore nature, she must have sensed the presence of the carnivorous villainess. 'This might actually be a good thing.' I hoped this would reduce the frequency of the saintess's library visits.
"Should I take your silence as a yes? Or was the amount not enough? Well, since it seems you're listening, why don't you hear my proposal?"
Judith rested her chin on her hand and asked in a soft, gentle voice. Damn it. I'd been hoping she'd get loud enough for the librarian to kick her out, but she avoided that trap perfectly. She might have already seen through my strategy. Thanks to that, I had no choice but to sit there and listen to her voice.
"I've become interested in not only you, but also Lady Lena Youngstern. How a delicate young lady like her could cause such an overwhelming mana explosion in an instant. If I'm with you, I feel like I might uncover that secret too. What do you say? Why don't we take this opportunity to get closer?"
The urge to shout, 'Friends with benefits at that price? Of course we should be friends!' was incredibly strong, but I barely managed to hold myself together. A decent excuse had just occurred to me.
"My lady. When friends get close, isn't it more important that their hearts align rather than money?"
"Oh my. Then..."
"Therefore, I cannot accept this money."
I drew a firm line and slid the leather pouch that had been sitting on the corner of my desk toward her. "The same goes for friendships bought and sold with money."
Without giving her a chance to argue, I stood up and left the library. I could feel her gaze chasing after me from behind, but I had to cut her off this coldly if I wanted her interest to cool down.
Judith La Roche leaned back against the soft carriage seat, quietly staring down at the worn leather pouch resting on her lap.
Ian Ash. She narrowed her eyes, replaying his reaction in the library.
She had definitely struck at his weakest point. The Ash barony, drowning in so much debt that calling it "on the verge of bankruptcy" felt like an understatement. No matter how much a noble clung to their meager pride, she had believed everything could ultimately be bought with money.
Even if their family wasn't teetering on the edge of ruin, most humans crumbled in the face of overwhelming gold. They would either flare up in anger at the wound to their pride, or surrender to sweet temptation with a servile smile. In the former case, she could simply offer even more money to crush that pathetic pride. In the latter, she could just slightly raise the price to match their already-exposed value and buy them outright.
But.
'Ian Ash didn't fall into either category.'
To be honest, this had been a mistake on Judith La Roche's part. When she'd received the report detailing the Ash family's dire financial situation, she had been certain she could buy Ian easily and completely. That was why she had presented that pouch—containing enough to clear the family's entire debt and still leave some for entertainment.
Yet that man had refused it without the slightest flicker of agitation, wearing an incredibly sly and relaxed smile.
A low, chilling laugh slipped from between Judith's red lips.
A man who couldn't be bought with money or crushed with power.
"A lot of money. Only more money."
The secret auction broker. As always, the concept of this guy's shop kept changing, which made it fun. This time it was a clothing store.
"So that was your goal, Master Extra."
He nodded quietly and held out a money pouch. Oh. This feels about the same weight as the one Judith gave me? I opened it with anticipation, but unfortunately, it wasn't filled with gold coins but silver ones. Well, it wasn't a small amount by any means.
'...Tsk.'
Get a grip. Overwhelming amounts to leave a lingering impression was one of Judith's strategies too.
"As you requested, it's also being sold in distant cities. This is the settlement amount for this time."
"How was the reaction?"
"What can I say? It was the best. Hehehehe."
This old man. For some reason, he'd started acting like he was the one whose work was selling. I should give him a signed copy later.
By the way.
"This shop is quite flashy."
The walls were lined with dazzling dresses of every color.
"It's almost debutante season. This is when you make money with dresses. Hehehe."
Aha. Come to think of it, it was almost time for the academy's social debut season for new students. It looked like it was about time for the villainess to step forward and for the lady with the rolled-up hair to appear.
"Especially these babies right here."
The broker pointed to a corner filled with brooches. Why are they all butterfly-shaped?
"It's an item that's become legendary among the academy students. They say if you wear this butterfly accessory and confess, love will definitely come true! A magical token!"
He winked and added, "Sales talk, sales talk."
Someone's confession, huh. That's pretty far removed from my life.
"...Tsk."
What is this strangely defeated feeling? In truth, romantic relationships were the most dangerous element for an erotic manga artist. Erotic manga was pure fantasy. The moment reality got mixed in, it lost its value as erotic manga.
"......"
With an inexplicable bitterness, I left the shop. Instead of heading back to the academy, I made my way deep into the back alleys. The street where shady herbalists gathered.
Ding—
"Looking for something specific?"
"All the herbs on this list, top-grade please."
I pulled out the settlement pouch and placed it on the table. The elderly witch scanned the list and her eyes widened.
"Goodness. Looks like you're planning something quite dangerous."
Seems like I ordered the right ingredients. That reaction made sense.
"Got a grudge against some mages?"
What I'd ordered were the ingredients for a drug that forcibly triggered a mana explosion in mages.
"Not exactly."
If anything, I wanted to help her. Since it was medicine for Lena.
In the original story, the news of my forced political marriage with her had stimulated Lena's emotions and caused a mana explosion. But now, I planned to somehow dodge that marriage talk, and I couldn't bear to hurt her by forcing an engagement either. That left only one option: artificially flipping the explosion switch with drugs.
Ah, of course safety was guaranteed. When I was reading the original novel, right after Lena's episode ended with the explosion, the academy's herbalism professor had said this line:
"If only they had used that drug to release all the mana at once and induce the explosion, the mana circuits wouldn't have gotten tangled and Lady Youngstern wouldn't have been hurt."
A drug that acted like a deadly poison causing mana backlash for normal mages, but worked differently for Lena.
"Well, poison and medicine are two sides of the same coin. I'll assume the customer wants to make medicine."
I carefully stored the neatly packaged potion bottles and items in my pocket and turned my steps back toward the academy. I was walking along the path to the dormitory, inwardly reviewing my perfect plan, when—
"...Ian."
A familiar voice came from beneath the shade of a tree.
"Huh? Lena. Are you feeling... Wait, what? You still have a fever?"
The tips of her ears were still bright red. The moment she heard my voice, her shoulders flinched, and she slowly lifted her head that had been hanging low.
"......"
Lena's face, revealed under the sunlight, was flushed bright red like a perfectly ripened apple—no exaggeration. Her green eyes darted around helplessly. Both hands were gripping the hem of her uniform skirt so tightly it was getting wrinkled.
"Hey, are you really not sick? Your face looks like it's about to burst."
"N-No, I'm not! I'm not sick!"
Lena shouted and took a step closer. But her momentum quickly died, and she started kicking at the dirt with her toes, mumbling in a voice as small as a mosquito.
"It's just... I have something to tell you."
"Something to tell me? What is it? Did your mana finally fill up enough to run the printing press?"
"Y-You insensitive jerk! This isn't about the printing press!"
Lena squeezed her eyes shut and yelled. Then she took a deep breath, looked straight up at me with her face once again burning red, and—
On the ribbon at the front of Lena's uniform, a blue butterfly brooch was sparkling.